Our best-kept scenic secret is about to be blown forever

By Orietta Guerrera

From tent site No. 8 on night six of the newly opened eight-day walk, campers can marvel at the long-hidden wonder of Cape Volney.

Along with the spectacular view, the site at Ryan's Den — big enough for only a cosy two-person tent — also has access to a shelter and cooking hut, two tanks with drinkable rainwater, and a waterless toilet, which is kept smelling fresh by a solar-powered fan.

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With the official opening of the 91-kilometre walk from Apollo Bay to near the Twelve Apostles close to Port Campbell this week, many little-known views along Victoria's south-west coast like Cape Volney are now uncovered.

Brett Manders, tracks team leader of the walk from Parks Victoria, said visitors could expect to see sights they could not drive anywhere near.

"If you look on a map, while the road is called the Great Ocean Road, it doesn't necessarily go all that close to the ocean in certain sections," Mr Manders said.

"You've got highlights at either end of it … but then there's this section between Princetown and Apollo Bay — roughly 90 kilometres of road — that on average is between five and 10 kilometres inland.

"The Great Ocean Walk hugs the coastline in areas you can't readily see."

The walk can be done in day-trips, single overnight stays or the full eight-day, seven-night experience.

With seven new campsites now scattered in the Great Otway National Park, it is the first time people can legally camp within the Great Otways National Park.

Parks Victoria hopes campers will use the area responsibly — not feeding the wildlife or lighting fires, and taking all rubbish away.

The track from the start at Apollo Bay to Cape Otway is ideal for beginners, while experienced surfers will enjoy the surf beaches from Cape Otway to Johanna Beach. Meanwhile, for the more advanced hiker, the rugged terrain of the final two days — which passes through Ryans Den — provides the greatest challenge.

All walkers must register with Parks Victoria and book campsites.

Barry Chisholm from Chadstone was among the first to walk the entire track, conquering the walk with his girlfriend, parents and brother over New Year.

Mr Chisholm, 24, an experienced bushwalker who is familiar with the coastline, said he was "blown away" by the vistas.

"I've driven down that way so many times, and I just didn't know that all these beaches existed in between," he said. "There's walking through mature forests, and then along cliff tops, and through sand dunes, ocean beaches.

"We saw some of the biggest trees we'd ever seen, and lots of koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies."

The idea for the walk was mooted in 1974 but construction began only five years ago with $2.3 million from the State Government.

Using basic tools such as mattocks and shovels, a team of builders and volunteers has created 22 kilometres of new walking track, and cleared 25 kilometres of previously built track.

It is now Mr Manders' task to ensure the track is regularly cleared of vegetation and campsites are kept clean.

Su-Hsien Kuan, 36, from Fitzroy North, who walked the final three days of the track with three friends, recommended hikers wear hiking boots and carry a light pack. "It's fairly rugged — it's not a walk in the park," she said.

The group celebrated the new year at Ryan's Den with the ocean crashing below.

"It was a beautiful place to spend New Year's Eve — we brought a bottle of champagne with us, watching the sunset," Ms Kuan said.

The aim is that one day the Great Ocean Walk will be considered an iconic walk, ranked alongside the likes of the Overland Track in Tasmania and Peru's Inca Trail.

For a grand finale, the final 1.5 kilometres of the walk provides the best view of the Twelve Apostles — a just reward for committed hikers. But Mr Chisholm warned that after completing the first 90 kilometres, people may not find the Apostles so spectacular.

"The Twelve Apostles are good, but there's all these beautiful bits that are just as — even more — amazing that you just don't know about until you walk the walk," he said.